Red clouds of gas and dust mingle with the twinkling stars of the Seagull Nebula in this photo captured by a telescope at the La Silla Observatory in Chile's Coquimbo Region.

The Seagull Nebula is a stellar nursery made up of massive clouds of dust, hydrogen, helium and ionized gases — the perfect environment to birth new stars. Named for its resemblance to a gull in flight, the Seagull Nebula spans 100 light-years from its perceived "wingtips" and is located approximately 3,700 light-years from Earth.